Zimbabwe’s Pfumvudza/Intwasa conservation farming model has recently attracted significant interest from the United States, with reports suggesting that a potential new Trump administration may look to adopt similar principles. This model, launched in 2021, empowers small and medium-scale farmers by promoting sustainable, eco-friendly practices focused on soil health, organic crops, and efficient land use. The program challenges the industrialized agriculture model, prioritizing smallholder farmers over corporate interests and inspiring international admiration.
In a campaign video, US presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy Jr. passionately criticized the current American agricultural policies, calling them harmful to both the health of the American public and the economic well-being of farmers. He argued that these policies force family farms to either “get big or get out,” catering primarily to corporate agricultural interests and resulting in the economic collapse of small and medium farm operators. According to Kennedy, the dominance of large-scale corporate farms, compounded by heavy reliance on chemicals, has led to soil degradation and water depletion, creating an unsustainable agricultural system. His critique of the American diet highlights how 70% of consumer diets consist of ultra-processed foods, leading to a high prevalence of obesity-related diseases. Kennedy further pledged that a future Trump administration would rewrite agricultural regulations to support small operators, ban hazardous chemicals already prohibited elsewhere, and promote sustainable regenerative farming—an ethos that aligns closely with Zimbabwe’s Pfumvudza/Intwasa model.
Zimbabwe’s Pfumvudza/Intwasa program provides a successful case study in the empowerment of smallholders, with approximately 3.8 million households economically uplifted through this government-led initiative. Additionally, the country has seen substantial gains in food security, with over 11 million people benefiting from ten presidential schemes introduced to ensure national stability in food production. Unlike the chemically intensive practices in the US, Zimbabwe’s model focuses on minimal soil disturbance, natural manure, and rotational cropping of traditional cereals with high nutritional value. These methods have created a self-sustaining agricultural system that promotes organic food production while respecting environmental boundaries.
The terminology surrounding farmers also reflects the program’s empowering approach. In Zimbabwe, “communal farmers” has sometimes been seen as a diminishing label; using terms like “smallholder” or “small and medium farm operators” instead promotes a more empowering image, aligning with how Americans refer to their family farmers. This linguistic shift acknowledges the farmers’ pivotal role in national food security, further enhancing their status and confidence.
The success of Pfumvudza/Intwasa signals Zimbabwe’s leadership in sustainable agriculture, demonstrating the potential of smallholder-focused policies to address pressing global challenges in food security, environmental health, and farmer resilience. With Kennedy Jr. advocating for similar changes, Zimbabwe’s innovative model offers a valuable template for nations seeking to balance food production with environmental and economic sustainability.
